


A Reason to Continue

by Higgystar



Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Gen, Kink Meme
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-13
Updated: 2014-03-13
Packaged: 2018-01-15 13:39:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 7,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1306843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Higgystar/pseuds/Higgystar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt from the walking dead kink meme: After the mid season 4 finale, Daryl saves Judith and escapes the prison with her, not Beth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A lot of it is all a blur, but he remembers the noise, the explosions and the ringing in his ears, choking on smoke and scrambling to his feet unsteadily. He’d been dazed, wobbling on his feet and clinging to his crossbow for dear life, unsure about what to do, what was the plan for this situation? Then he’d heard her and the volume on everything else had turned up too. Judith was screaming somewhere in the yard.

Daryl’s feet had moved of their own accord, running as fast as he could towards her, rounding every corner, taking out as many Walkers as he could and avoiding gunfire. His mind was focussed, everything else was fucked, there was no plan, no order and no sense, the only thing he knew to do was to protect the baby. She was in her carry seat, hollering at the top of her lungs with fat tears running down her face, as soon as she saw him she raised her arms, screaming in his direction.

He didn’t need to be told twice.

Being as gentle as he could he still knew he’d leave a few bruises on her in his haste, but they had bigger problems that that right now. He shoulders the crossbow, he couldn’t use two hands right now so his knife would have to do. Hoisting the still crying baby into his arms he keeps her close, feeling her tiny fingers curl into the collar of his vest and cling there in terror. He hears the walker behind them and quickly deals with it, grunting with effort as his knife penetrates its skull, spattering blood over the car seat as Judith squeals. The corpse slumps over something and Daryl almost thanks God when he finds it’s the baby supply bag.

It’s heavy, hopefully fully stocked but it’s not like he had time to check right now. He shoulders it, feeling the crossbow get crushed into his back, sharp and painful but still there and secure. Gathering his wits he turns away from the devastation, keeping his knife arm free to attack if he needed to and beginning to run as far from the prison as he could, using the cover of the surrounding woods to keep them hidden from enemy eyes.

He runs for a long time, until his legs feel like jelly and then a bit further just to make sure. Daryl’s pretty sure they’re a decent ways away to pause for just a second, he’d dispatched as many walkers as he could, but Judith was still squirming against his chest, whimpering and whining. Checking the area he presses back against a tree for just a second, resting on the supply bag and sheathing his knife to hold her properly.

Babies weren’t exactly his forte, being the youngest meant he’d never had to deal with them before and it weren’t exactly like they’d had any close family to meet up with a coo over newborns at christenings. But right now that didn’t matter, the words and actions were just coming easily as he tried to soothe Judith and partly himself.

“It’s okay, shush. I got you Lil Asskicker, we’re okay all right?” She sniffles up at him, fingers still clinging on to him, cheeks soaked with tears and mewling a little. Rubbing her back he bounces her a little, checking her over quickly for any injuries or God forbid a bite. His heart beats a little steadier when he finds that she’s fine, just scared. “You’re fine, I’m fine, it’s okay. Shush, it’s okay, we’re going to be okay.”

He’s still panicked, but Judith is nice enough not to mention it as she finally stops crying, moving to rest her head on his shoulder and mouth at his collar quietly. That’s good, he must have done something right because she’d stopped crying. Okay that was a step in the right direction. Now he’d just have to keep moving and figure out the next step.


	2. Chapter 2

Taking a moment to rearrange the bag and crossbow he makes sure his weapon is easier to grab if he needed it, not that it would be easy to handle with Judith, but still it was reassuring to have it ready all the same. The adrenaline was wearing off, as much as he didn’t want it to and now his mind was thinking further than to scope of fight or flight.

Swallowing down the worry he has he begins walking, not sure where to but knowing they need to find somewhere safe for the night, somewhere away from the prison and hopefully secure. “It’s okay Lil Asskicker, we’re just going to have an adventure okay? Just you and me. I’ll teach you how to hunt and make a fire and heck I might even teach you how to use the crossbow.”

He’s babbling, he knows he is. Merle would be jabbing him with his elbow right now, telling him to stop running his mouth cause he sounded like a fucking idiot. But Judith hums into his ear, happy to listen to his murmured words and suck at his clothes. “We’re just going to find somewhere to stay the night, then tomorrow we’re going to start looking for everyone else. Like a game of hide and go seek all right?”

Daryl knows it’s stupid to pretend, this isn’t a game, this is their life and right now he’s not sure how much longer it’s going to last because they had nowhere safe to go. He can feel Judith’s heartbeat against his chest, a flutter, nowhere near as strong as his own but just as steady. She was alive, he was alive and he’d be damned if they didn’t go down without a fight. No. If he could get out with the baby then the others definitely would have, Judith was strong enough to make it and she was just a baby, so the others would be fine.

Settling her a little better against him he continues walking, keeping his eyes open for any hint of danger, ready to protect Judith at all costs.

They wouldn’t be the only ones left, the whole bus had driven off, he knew that, he’d seen it. So there would be some others on the road if nowhere else. He hadn’t seen many of theirs dead, not inside the prison anyway. Holding Judith a little tighter he tries not to think of Hershel, how the old man had looked so calm, so steady even as The Governor had…

No, they were fine. Beth had run from him but he knew she was fine, uninjured and probably off with Maggie and Glenn. They’d be fine, the girls were country born and raised and Glenn was damned smart, he’d probably have a whole plan set up to find everyone else in no time. There was no way he had to worry about them. Christ they’d probably be holed up together somewhere by now, mourning their losses and preparing to survive like they had that first Winter.

Michonne was definitely all right. The woman had survived so long without any of their help and he knew she hadn’t been hurt when he’d last seen her. She was strong, fearless and clever. So long as she’d got her weapon back she’d be able to survive easily, probably too busy taking her revenge on the Governor to bother worrying about the rest of them. He’d bet anything that she’d kick his ass and make him pay for everything.

Tyreese and Sasha had been well equipped to survive long before he’d met them. The pair of them had something inside of them, a no nonsense streak of common sense that meant they’d head towards a landmark and secure it in case anyone else had the same idea. Tyreese could crack a walker’s skull with little effort and he knew Sasha had become very handy with her knife as well as with her gun. They would be fine, even if it took them a while to get used to living on the run again.

As for Carl and Rick…


	3. Chapter 3

He takes a second to bury his face in Judith’s neck, giving himself a moment to just breathe, to just stop and not think about that. Despite everything she still had a lingering scent of baby smell about her, all softness and newness, no scent of her own yet but a mix of baby powder and milk. She wriggled against him, squirming to look up and burble in question, her hand reaching out to pat as his cheek a little hard before fisting it in his hair and tugging. Tilting his head to accommodate her he continues walking, double checking their surroundings and cursing his moment of not being alert.

Last he’d seen of Carl the kid had been attacking, gun in his hands firing rapidly and with a dark look in his eyes that burned full of fury. If he hadn’t been so preoccupied Daryl would have been worried. He’d be fine, Carl was young and inexperienced with the world but he was becoming harder, finding it easier to deal with. After the death of his mom Daryl’s pretty sure the kid could survive anything if he put his mind to it. So there was no reason to have his chest constrict at the thought of him being hurt.

As for Rick. Well the guy had survived a coma, survived Atlanta twice, gotten them out of the CDC deathtrap, beaten the herd at the farm, kept them alive in the Winter and done so much more that Daryl doubts anything could bring him down. But the last he’d seen the other man had been in the fray, right in the thick of it and the front line rarely ever got out safely. But Rick was a survivor. He was their leader, the one who always knew what choice to make and fuck the guy was always so determined, he couldn’t possibly not be safe. No, he wouldn’t let himself get hurt, not when he knew he had Carl and Judith to look after.

All this worrying wasn’t helping anyone, he needed to stop being so selfish and start making a plan. A ‘what would Rick do?’ sort of plan. First step, find safety for the night. Second step, get up at first light and begin searching for the others. Step three, if step two fails then head for a landmark and secure it. Before they’d all congregated at the highway, he just had to try and think of a spot they would all think of now.

Against him Judith yawns, rubbing at her eyes and nuzzling closer, flopped against him in a solid weight that had no worries. Must be nice to feel like that. Keeping quiet he follows a well worn path through the woods, finding it straight as if made by years and years of people using it as a shortcut. Excellent, that meant there had to be someplace to go if they needed a shortcut to and from it. So that was step one almost complete.

The cabin is a shit tip but it’s got four walls and a roof so he figures it’s plenty good enough for tonight. He’s settled them on the second floor cum attic, more just a level of floor halfway across the house with a ladder coming down, but it’s big enough for the two of them. Judith is settled into a corner against the wall with the bag set between her and the rest of the shelf to keep her from rolling. He’s not too sure but he thinks he’s got her pretty safe, Carol had taught him not to give her a pillow yet, that she didn’t need it til she was older so he’d placed a blanket from her bag beneath her and one on top. She seemed happy enough and hadn’t stirred yet so he felt it was a pretty good job.

They’d have to start looking for supplies soon enough, Judith was well stocked up for a couple of weeks if he was careful, but he didn’t think they could both get by on formula alone. He’d made sure the door was well secured, that he could see as far as possible and get them out of the back window if they had to move quickly. They would be fine here for a while at least. Laying down beside Judith he watches her little chest move up and down with each breath, not a care in the world as she dreamt, eyelids flickering every so often. He wishes he could have that for just a moment sometimes, but he’s the adult here and didn’t have time for dreams and relaxation. Keeping the crossbow within reach on one side and the knife on the other he’s ready for a few hours of shuteye, hoping that Judith would allow it for the moment. 


	4. Chapter 4

It doesn’t feel like he’s been asleep for a few minutes before Judith is whimpering beside him, beginning to cry and wriggle, waving her arms at him. Immediately he’s wide awake, checking their cabin and the outside for danger whilst placing a gentle hand to her chest. “Shush it’s okay, quiet now Lil Asskicker, we got to keep quiet.”

Judith continues crying, beginning to wail loudly, chin wobbling as she begs to attention. When he can’t see any danger he focuses on her, immediately aware of the exact reason for her discomfort. He’s gutted plenty of animals, killed too many walkers to count and been in some really disgusting situations, but somehow this little girl has managed to surpass the stench of all of them. Trying not to gag he goes through the baby bag, finding what he needs and wondering how everyone else had managed to do this whilst continuing to coo and smile at her.

“Christ girl you could clear a room.” Daryl mutters to her, quickly unbuttoning the romper suit he’d gotten her into and removing the source of the stench. He gags again, and frowns when Judith has the call to burble at him in mirth. “Not funny.” Doing his best with his limited knowledge he cleans her up, checking her for rash like Carol had taught them all before slowly figuring out how to secure the clean diaper. The dirty one gets taped up and thrown downstairs, as far away from where they need to walk as possible. “Okay that’s much better now.” Clicking up the fasteners he feels a small flare of pride over his success before moving to lift her up, letting her sit on his folded legs and lean against his stomach whilst he begins making up some formula.

He’s careful not to spill any, nor to give her too much since he’d have to start rationing it just in case their situation didn’t improve. Yawning he shakes it before pressing it beneath his arm, wanting to get it at least a little warmed up for her even if he couldn’t get it perfect. “Don’t know what everyone was always whining about Lil Asskicker, this is easy enough.”

She doesn’t reply, instead just opening her mouth and grasping at the bottle as best she can when he offers it to her. Daryl figures she’s grateful enough, and hell if the noises she’s making as she feeds are anything to go by then he’s one hell of a formula making pro. “Okay so after you’ve finished eating we’ll try and get a few more hours of sleep, then when we’re up we’ll get looking okay?” She snorts a little around the teat and despite himself he has to smile at that, stroking over her hair gently. “Damn right.”

When she’s done he rubs her back, careful to make sure she doesn’t spit up on him at all. He may not have pride in his appearance, but with no change of clothes he doesn’t want to be stinking of baby puke. Leaning against the back wall he sits with her for a while, letting her settle against him, her head on his chest and fingers curled into his vest and one hand in her mouth. Before long she’s asleep and in the quiet of the night he finds himself trying not to think over everything that had happened.

They’re not alone, they’re going to find everyone and find somewhere new to live, they’d found the prison, there would be somewhere else to go. Maybe a boat? Or an island off the mainland where it would be easy to defend. Heck they could just build a treehouse and live off the ground since walkers couldn’t climb, that could be an idea, he’d have to mention it to Rick.

Judith gurgles around her fist and he wraps his arms about her, tucking the blanket over her small body and letting his mouth fall to the top of her head. After a lifetime of it always having been him and Merle and surviving on his own, he really is starting to miss everyone else. Especially Rick. The other man had taken up a huge role in his life, he’d been the first person except for Merle to actual give half a shit about him, to want him around for something other than his usefulness. He’d been accepted, become a part of a family that wasn’t forged by blood and had become so important it had been terrifying at first.

Against his first thoughts he’d begun to let himself open up a little, giving to them as they gave to him. He’d become settled, comfortable and willing to do anything for them. Sure there were still barriers there, shit he’d never been able to deal with and wasn’t going to start now, but heck he’d say they’d gotten pretty close and none of them had ever pushed. They’d been all he had left in this fucked up world after Merle had gone and that aching gap inside of himself had slowly begun to get filled with other people.

Rick asked his advice, Glenn joked with him, the Greene sisters would tease him about his hair, Hershel had looked at him in that kind way, and Carol had probably become his first real friend. It hurt to be away from them after so long being with them, having the silence and not being surrounded by them all at some time. Instinct made him need to know where they were to keep an eye on them, to protect them from danger, but right now the only one he had left was snuffling into his chest and looking to him for a future.


	5. Chapter 5

He’d be damned if he was going to give up on her. He had to make sure to keep her safe and get her back to Rick. Yes they were all family, but he was her father and one of the best men Daryl had ever met, someone who deserved to have her alive and well and in his arms. Yes he wanted to see him and all the others again, but Judith needed them more, she needed a loving, caring family that could teach her more than how to hunt and gut a squirrel. Rick needed to teach her how to talk, tell her all about Lori and have Carl annoy her like only a big brother could. If he was a part of that package and got to be in her life then he’d take it, some sort of honorary uncle or something, but he wanted that future with her and the rest of his family.

When the first rays of sunlight begin to creep in through the windows he makes sure their things are all packed, so they’re ready to get looking, to find their family and get their future back on track.

For what it’s worth Judith seems to be in a good mood as they walk through the woods, crunching through the leaves and hunting for a sign of life. She babbles every so often to him, giggling and smiling, blowing spit bubbles and tapping at his cheek in what seems to be her latest favourite game. It makes things a bit more bearable even if he has to hush her up when he thinks he hears a walker. Her smiles and the way she seems so pleased to be with him is uplifting, it gives him a tiny ray of hope that maybe this world isn’t quite so fucked.

They come across an empty house, and though he wishes he could leave her somewhere safe before clearing it, she begins whimpering and whining as soon as he goes to out her down. So keeping her held close to his chest he clears the house and is relieved to find it empty of any walkers. There’s a few corpses up in one of the bedrooms but it looks like they’d put themselves down properly to not come back. He scans through the place, grabbing a rucksack to begin piling in supplies for them to take and leaving everything in pile beside the door for when they’ve got to leave. Judith looks around happily, chewing on the pacifier Daryl had given her to keep her quiet as they moved around each room.

The kitchen was a goldmine, a few cans of goodies, some bottles of water and a few tools he could use. There’s no weapons to be found but plenty of other items like rope, a swiss army knife, a couple of spare shirts and even an almost full first aid kit. It’s a brilliant score and going through the upstairs rooms he finds something even better in the smallest one.

“Jackpot.” He chuckles, looking down to Judith with a small smile. “We’re in business Lil Ass Kicker.” She squeals, dropping her pacifier, showing all six of her teeth and bouncing in his arms happily as he steps further into the pastel pink room to set her down in the clean and empty crib for a moment, catching the loose pacifier and hooking it onto his finger for the moment. When she goes to whine he strokes her hair softly, making sure to stay in her line of sight as she sits there, shuffling on her rear to grab at the bars and watch him. “Just going to get you some more goodies, you’re one lucky lil girl you know that?”

More diapers, unspoiled formula, baby rusks, some kind of kiddie cereal, nibbles, toys and little things he’s not entirely sure what they’re for but they’re light enough for him to not mind taking them along, just in case. Judith gurgles and he turns to face her, giving a huff of approval at what he sees.

“Well lookit you.” Wandering over she reaches out to him, wobbly but still on her feet for the first time that he’s ever seen. “Smart one ain’t you?” Judith babbles before stumbling, dropping to her rear with a look of shock on her face. Daryl reaches over to help her back onto her feet, holding her hands before placing them back on the bars so she can steady herself. “You’ll get the hang of it, sometimes it takes a while. Merle always said I didn’t start walking till I was almost a year old.”

Continuing to go through the room he grabs some extra clothing for her, stuffing them into the rucksack, checking back on her every once in a while. It’s when he sees the back of the door that he finds exactly what he’s been hoping for. “Oh now we’re talking.” Taking the baby carrier off the hook he checks it over, finding it in perfect working order even if it was a rather bright shade of pink. Slipping it over his shoulder he adjusts it to himself, glad that it could go on his back or front easily and clipping it to sit on his chest for the moment. “What do you think? Like the colour?”


	6. Chapter 6

Judith chews at her fingers and says nothing, but he can tell she knows he looks ridiculous. Shrugging it off he’s glad to add it to their piles of supplies before picking her back up and heading to the kitchen for a moment’s rest. Setting her on the table in front of him he sits for a second, opening a still good jar of jam and scooping some onto his fingers and then into his mouth. “We did good today.” He tells her, poking out his tongue to get her to giggle and try to copy him as he eats. “Now we’re ready to keep looking I think.”

She gurgles in reply, shuffling closer on her rear and watching him eat. Moving nearer he makes sure she can’t fall off, spooning more jam into his mouth and actually enjoying food for the first time in a while. He removes his fingers from his mouth but before he can grab more jam she’s grabbing at his fingers, moving them to her own mouth and sucking eagerly. “I dunno if you can have jam yet.” He admits, wondering if there was a baby book somewhere he could steal. “Don’t want you choking or nothing.” She whines and digs her teeth and sharp gums into his skin, tongue lapping at it lightly and seeming to enjoy the flavour of jam mixed with his own spit. “’Spose that’s okay, I mean that’s just licking…”

A little wary he removes his finger long enough to dunk it back in the jam, making sure there’s only a thin smear of juice on it before offering it back to her mouth. She’s eager to latch on again, sucking at his finger and holding his hand steady for her to enjoy her new flavoured meal. He’s careful when he watches her, making sure there’s no distress and she’s not coughing or choking at all. When he’s assured that he’s not doing anything wrong he continues feeding both her and himself, taking turns between the two of them.

When the jar is half empty he considers that to be enough and they’d stalled for enough time. Sucking her pacifier to make sure it wasn’t too dirty he smears it in the jam, coating it in the flavour before popping it into her mouth. “All right, now we’ve got to get going.”

He sets her down on the floor as he begins to get ready, feeling more and more like a pack horse as he loads up layers of straps and bags. His crossbow is secured around his waist, the strap becoming a mock belt to make it easier to reach and to have one thing off his back. Slipping on the baby carrier he makes sure it’s secure before attaching the baby supply bag to the rucksack with rope and then shrugging the rucksack straps over the top of the baby carrier. When he’s certain it’s all safe and secure he reaches down to lift her and finds that she’s managed to shuffle away on her rear a few feet.

Sighing he moves to get her, ignoring her giggling. “Now ain’t the time to play games Lil Asskicker, we gotta go find your daddy.” She squirms in the baby carrier, not used to it and huffing a little in annoyance that he’s not holding her properly anymore. “Don’t start fussing, least this way I can shoot us some squirrel.”

The days and nights pass without too much of an incident, he’d been fortunate that Judith had been asleep when a herd had passed by their resting place for the night and he’d had to kill the occasional stragglers. It had been difficult, Judith was fussing and teething, chewing on him more often than her pacifier and making him have to stop to care for her every few hours. He knows she can’t help it but it’s frustrating to not be able to move like he would on his own, to be quick about it and stealthier than he was now. Plus the frustration of not being able to find anyone kept mounting throughout each hour that passed.


	7. Chapter 7

It’s on the fourth day that he’s making his way through the woods finding himself humming her to sleep as they search, using the sun to keep a basic knowledge of their position and tracking to see if there was any signs of life anywhere. There’s a good few hints, enough for him to feel hopeful that they’re getting somewhere, and it’s all he can do not to sigh in relief when he finds a railway line. Rails meant transport and transport was only good when it ran along towns and houses. Yes, if there was anywhere the others would head it would be towards a settlement and they’d be smart enough to use the railroads if they found them.

“I think we’re on the right track Lil Asskicker.” Again he begins walking, one hand on his knife hilt and the other rubbing her back through the carrier. “Pun intended.” Judith snores around her pacifier in reply and buries herself closer to him.

Walking gets boring but he keeps doing it, following the tracks and getting more pleased when he starts to see the trees are better kept, there’s fences along the line and signs of life. “Won’t be long now.” He reassures her even though she’s still asleep, not stirring as she’s jostled lightly with every step.

When he sees the edge of a town it’s almost too good to be true and he speeds up a little to get there sooner. This is where they would be. Somewhere with supplies, with rooms and beds and roads, somewhere they could fortify and make a new life of themselves together. It wouldn’t be the prison, but it would still be good and safe for them all.

Drawing closer he sees writing on the side of a building, dark against the stark white side of it and pulling him in closer. Judith stirs a little against him, reaching up to rub at her eyes and attempting to turn to look over her shoulder to the town before them. When she starts to whimper he hushes her gently, lifting her up and turning her around so she can face outwards and see whatever she likes. The noise attracts some walkers, one with half a face stumbling towards them with her arms outstretched as if she’s going to stop them when they’ve come this far.

The knife crushes through her skull easily and Daryl uses his free arm to protect Judith from the blood that spatters over them both. It’s a testament to how tough the baby is that she barely even whimpers at the violence in front of her. Three others go down, one through the eye, another in the skull and one that’s a little further off he manages to get with his crossbow, much to Judith’s delight. She squeals and claps, spitting out her pacifier to babble up at him almost in congratulations.

“You’ll be doing that in no time, I don’t call you Lil Asskicker for nothing. You’ve got to prove me right you know?” When he’s sure the coast is clear he continues walking towards the building, unable to stop his grin when the words begin to come into view properly. He’s not sure how they managed to get that high on the old station house, but in muddy letters he can see the message clearly.

_GLENN MAGGIE BETH DARYL TYREESE BOB WE ARE HERE!_

“See? What did I tell you?” He relates the message to Judith, trying to hush her when she continues to fuss and whine a little. “Cheer up a little, your daddy is here and waiting for us.” Rocking her a little she just won’t stop and when he checks the sun again he figures it’s about time for her to be changed anyway. “All right I guess they can wait a little while.”

Kicking down the station house door he finds a clear space to change her, he’s getting quite the expert at it now and it doesn’t take a few minutes before she’s burbling up at him cheerfully. “Yeah see fussy pants? I fixed it, now can we get going?” He coos to her, tickling her belly a little before making sure she’s all changed into one of the nicer little dresses he’d found at the house on the way. “Need to get you looking your best for your daddy now don’t we?”


	8. Chapter 8

When he goes to place her back in the baby carrier she squeals again, arms and legs rigid and pushing away at the carrier as she squalled. Sighing he sets her down again before shrugging off the carrier, packing it away in the rucksack before lifting her again. “Don’t start thinking you can be all drama queen on me.” He scolds but still lifts her into his arms, glad when she settles against him, grinning her gummy smile and patting at his cheeks with spit-covered fingers. “You’re lucky I like you so much Asskicker.”

She blows spit bubbles as he climbs the stairs to get a decent view of the place they were going to be calling home soon enough, and he lets her press her face against the window as he looks it over. It’s not a small town like he’d first thought, but rather a ranch that had almost evolved into a settlement over time. There’s plenty of outhouses, a bordering fence at the edge of all the land and a few farm houses scattered about. There’s a huge barn, stables, corrals, multiple storage buildings and dusty roads that join them all up around the land. It’s rather serene in it’s own way and though he can see a few walkers shambling around the place on the outskirts, it looks to be pretty clean, almost untouched by the end of the world.

They could do this. There were enough cars and bigger vehicles they could have, plenty of materials to use for a defensive structure and the woods were close enough for anything they needed. He’s certain they could get by and if the ground was good enough to keep cattle on in the past then it could certainly be used for crops if they like.

Judith bats at his face again, wriggling in his arms to butt her head against his cheek and mouth at him, drooling spit in what he figures is a friendly manner. “Yeah I know, let’s go find them.” He figures they’d be in the main farmhouse and he ca see a few of the windows on the bottom boarded up. Nodding to himself he wipes his cheek free of Judith’s encouragement and heads out of the station house to trail along the dirt road to their new home.

The excitement begins to build up inside of him the nearer he gets, and Judith must be able to feel it because she was babbling and drooling all over his shoulder in happiness. Despite the promise of safety he still keeps a hand on his knife, ready to defend them at a moment’s notice, not willing to let his guard down for a second.

“Maybe your daddy will let us get some animals here.” He tells her, already planning it out for them, hope beginning to take a hold like it had when they first found the prison. “You’d like that wouldn’t you? He could have some pigs again, play Farmer Rick and get some chickens, have real eggs instead of that powdered shit.” He knew he wasn’t meant to swear in front of the baby, but really she’d seen death and much worse in her short life. “Maybe some cows if we can find any, couple of horses like Flame from before and heck maybe even a dog. I always wanted a dog, but I’d let you help with looking after him.”

She burbles, chubby fingers curling into his hair and yanking hard in excitement. It hurts a little but he lets her, so long as she’s happy he doesn’t mind. Wandering the dirt track he climbs over the fence with her, keeping her close and enjoying the subtle change of grass and earth beneath her feet rather than rocky dirt. The house is coming into view, probably a good few bedrooms up there, enough room for all of them to be there comfortably. Sure it wouldn’t be as spacious as the cellblock, but maybe they could make it better over time. Could be their own little place to defend and make right.


	9. Chapter 9

They’re halfway across the yard when the door swings open, Rick and Michonne storming out, sure footed with weapons raised to defend their new home. Daryl freezes in response, not wanting another incident like on the farm, but grinning all the same. Judith squeals, bouncing in his hold and waving her arms in the direction of her family. As soon as the guns are lowered Daryl continues walking towards them, speeding up to a small job when Rick starts heading their way.

It’s no sappy end to a movie reunion, there’s no hugging or crying over it, though Daryl has to admit to feeling overwhelmed at it all. When Rick reaches them he’s grinning from ear to ear, tears in his eyes as he gets to take his daughter back into his arms and feel her so real and alive. Judith is crying but Daryl’s fairly certain she’s just happy, clinging onto Rick as tightly as he does to her. He’s not sure what to say, whether to explain himself or tell Rick of his plans for the place and everything they’d found in the surrounding areas.

He doesn’t get the chance when Rick reaches out to grab him, hand clasping the back of Daryl’s neck and bringing him in to press their forehead’s together. The words die in his throat and all he can do is grin back at Rick as the man gasps out a choked but happy sob, one that says everything they want to each other. Daryl’s not usually one for contact but just for a second he closes his eyes, lets himself remain there pressed against Rick, able to feel the other man’s breathing, how alive and real he was with Judith babbling between them softly.

It feels like being home again.

“Daryl!” Carl’s yell breaks the moment and before Daryl can look up to see the rapidly growing kid, he’s almost tackled to the ground by a sudden weight crushed against his chest. The hat had fallen off the kid’s head during his sprint so having no idea what else to do with his hands in this sudden hugging situation, he pats at Carl’s hair like he did with Judith when she would whimper.

“Guess you guys missed me huh?” Patting Carl’s shoulder he pulls back from him, letting the kid move to hug and kiss his baby sister, cooing and crying over her. Tossing one of the bags to Rick he nods for them to head back inside, somewhere with locked doors and somewhere to sit and rest for a moment.

“We didn’t know if you…if anyone.” Rick can’t seem to believe that he’s really here, clapping a hand on his shoulder and patting him again as if the make sure. “We just had to run, get somewhere safe and hope you’d head this way, see the sign otherwise we’d have just been walking in circles and getting more lost.”

He nods, wondering why Rick feels the need to justify himself to him, he knew it was all about survival and besides he’d had Carl to think about and keep safe. “I know. Ain’t no problem, found you again didn’t we? All fixed now.”

“I didn’t want to leave anyone behind, but I was badly injured and Carl found me, there was no choice-“

“Rick.” He cuts him off, pausing and tapping at the other man’ side to get him to pause too. “Ain’t no big deal. We do what we gotta do to survive, what’s happened has happened, now we gotta think about the here and now. What we’re gonna do next.” As far as he’s concerned it’s all water under the bridge, they were all alive and fuck everything else. Tapping at Rick’s side again he begins walking back to the house, following Carl and a still happily babbling Judith. “Now come on, show me the new digs.”

“Daryl, you saved my daughter.”

He shrugs in response, not ready to have this kind of conversation right now. “Well someone had to shut her up from screaming, otherwise every walker in Georgia would have been coming to bite our ass.” Daryl doesn’t let the emotion come into it, no need for it to become such a big deal when they had other things to sort out. “Besides Lil Asskicker and I needed to spend some time together.”

Heading up the porch steps he nods to Michonne, surprised to see her smirking at him with a tilt of her head. “You better not be bringing any fleas into my clean new house.”

“Don’t look at me, Lil Ass Kicker’s the one that likes to stink the place up.” He can hear her greeting between the lines and she can hear his in response. It’s enough for him for now and he heads inside with Rick following, showing him to the kitchen to put down the supplies. It’s nice enough, reminds him of what little he’d seen of the Greene’s place when they were on the farm. This place really could be a starting point.


	10. Chapter 10

“Daryl Dixon you look a complete mess.” Comes a scolding voice and before he knows it Carol is there and hugging him tightly, her soft hands stroking over his lower back. It’s calming and he gives in for a second to hold her in return, genuinely pleased to see her again after everything that happened. “I saw the explosion, came to help.” As usual she knows what he wants to hear, pulling away to tut at what must be a severe layer of grime and walker blood over his face. “By the time I got there it was too late, but I found Sasha and then we found Rick and the others.”

Looking behind himself he finds Sasha smiling to him, giving a small wave of greeting and a nod of respect. He would ask about the others, but he saw their names on the sign and knows they’re no here and if they don’t know where they are then they don’t know if they’re alive. There are so many things he wants to ask and so much more that he’s not sure if he wants to know the answer. Instead he simply nods, turning to find out more about this place. “We staying here then?”

“Yeah. It’s got good supplies, we can build up the defences, and it’s pretty empty of any herds. We’ve taken out all we can and made sure to check the perimeter, but it’s looking good.” Rick nods, hands on his hips and looking more determined than ever.

“Good woods out here. Pretty sure the hunting would be decent.” He adds, immediately perking up at the sound of Judith burbling. He’d gotten so used to it just being the two of them he would have to remember that there were others here to look after her now, people who were far better qualified than him. “Might catch a deer for when the others get here.”

The silent nods and tight smiles let him know that they feel the same as he does, wanting to hope for the best but not daring to be too optimistic. No one dares to mention that they may never see the others again. The women excuse themselves, going to fix a possible weakness in the fence out the back and keep a watch whilst Daryl settles in and Rick and Carl reunite with Judith.

“We’re glad you’re all right Daryl.” Carl can’t seem to get enough of his baby sister, sitting with her on his lap and playing peek-a-boo with her. It’s nice to see the kid actually getting to act like a kid for once and not see him with a weapon in his hand. “We didn’t want our family getting any smaller.”

Daryl gives a tight smile at that, settling further into his seat and actually enjoying the company again, having other people around him who can talk. “You just want me for my squirrel hunting skills.” He jokes, poking his tongue out at Judith when she flails her arms at him.

“Yeah that too. I’ve missed squirrel stew.” Standing up Carl moves to hand Judith over to his father before moving to take Daryl’s supply bags. “I’ll put your stuff in our room, you can share with me and dad instead of with the girls.” Sometimes Daryl forgets that Carl is still a teenager, but then he says stuff like that and it’s made very clear all over again. When he stomps up the stairs heavily it’s made even clearer and Daryl has to snort in amusement.

“I think he’s just pleased to have another guy around. I can’t be his dad and his friend.” Rick muses, eyes never leaving Judith’s face as he holds her, clearly not able to get over his daughter’s return. She coos and burbles giving a small whine and mouthing at Rick’s finger. “We need you Daryl. All of us do, but I can’t do this without you. It’s going to take all of us to get this place working, we can’t survive on our own anymore, that’s not how it works.”

Shaking his head a little Daryl dips into his pocket to get Judith’s pacifier, sucking it clean before offering it to her. She spits it out and instead grabs at Daryl’s finger to mouth at that, her sharp little gums digging in as she slobbers all over him. He figures it’s her way of saying thanks. “We could survive on our own.” He disagrees, not bothering to tug his finger away even when Rick chuckles. “We just can’t live on our own. That’s the difference. We don’t want to survive anymore, we want to live.”

Rick nods, a small smile of genuine happiness on his face as he claps a hand on Daryl’s shoulder again, holding Judith close and Daryl’s pleased that he made that look happen. “Then let’s live, together.”

“Together.”

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Author's note: Thank you all very much for reading and hopefully enjoying this fic. All of your comments are appreciated and this has been a wonderfully warm welcome to writing for a new fandom. Thank you all again - Higgy


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